(First edition) The Gutenberg Galaxy ~ Marshall McLuhan

(First edition) The Gutenberg Galaxy ~ Marshall McLuhan

Large hard cover with dust jacket
First edition
Published in 1962 by Routledge & Kegan Paul LTD
Original dust jacket shows shelf-wear and some tears on edges
Book generally in very good condition

Marshall McLuhans The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man is a provocative exploration of how the invention of the printing press reshaped human consciousness, culture, and social organization. Through a mosaic of 107 short chapters, McLuhan argues that media are extensions of human senses, and that the dominance of print has privileged sight over other senses, fundamentally altering how people perceive and interact with the world. He traces the shift from oral to literate societies, showing how the phonetic alphabet and typographic culture fostered individualism, linear thinking, and fragmented institutions. This transformation, he suggests, culminated in the Gutenberg galaxy, a cultural configuration rooted in visual logic and mechanical reproduction. McLuhans interdisciplinary approach draws from art history, anthropology, literature, and technology, offering a sweeping critique of how print shaped Western civilization and set the stage for the rise of electronic media. As society moves deeper into the electric age, McLuhan invites readers to reflect on the unconscious frameworks that print has imposed and to consider the implications of living in a world increasingly defined by digital interdependence.